Whats Wrong With Ike?

          We are now three weeks into the season and Issac Davis, our coveted future All-Star/Gold Glove 1B, is batting an anemic .131 with a even worse .185 On Base Percentage. He is also sporting a 34.4% Strikeout Rate and is leaving runners on base at a double digit rate (10 and 11 LOB against the SFG in respective games).

So the question in everyone's mind is what's wrong with Ike?

          The first thing I'm seeing is that his timing is out of sync right now. With his high leg kick, its harder to keep your body in one fluid motion. So far this season his leg kick is coming down/starting too quickly which leaves his hands behind and late through the zone. This is causing him to foul off balls that he should be hammering. 

          When you combine the first thing with this second thing, it explains why he's striking out so much. The second thing is his inability to judge the strike zone aka his lack of pitch recognition so far. Pitchers are eating Davis alive on the outside corner and with back door curveballs. In fact the only curveball Ike has made solid contact with so far this season was the 5th!! straight curveball that came out of Tommy Hanson's hand. Then you factor in the amount of mouthing off Davis has been doing to the Men in Blue. Davis is starting to get a name for himself as a "strikezone whiner" and we all know what umpires do when a player complains about the strikezone.....they make it bigger.

          Lastly, Davis is just having some dumb awful luck which still doesn't excuse him. The Mets have faced numerous tough pitchers, both left handed and right handed, who have dominant secondary pitches. Whether its been Lincecum, Strasburg, Johnson, Lee, or Hanson, Ike has been getting nothing but the good 'ole #2 from these guys. Until Davis can start making contact against the off-speed stuff he's not going to see a single hittable fastball.